Staff Writer- Bao Vu
Over this past weekend, Valentine’s Day came and went, but the Season of Love is still upon us. To continue to embrace your inner romantic, grab your pen and paper—we’re going to learn about Valentine’s traditions around the world.
England: The British believe that on Valentine’s Day, birds find their mates. Thanks to the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, this belief has become an integral part of Valentine’s Day tradition. In some parts of England, the day is even called “The Birds’ Wedding Day.” Valentine’s also marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, making it a time of great joy and beauty. Alongside traditional poetry, people embrace the warm atmosphere, exchanging cards and gifts to celebrate the day.
France: The French also believe this is the day birds begin to find mates and build nests. Typically, on Valentine’s Day, lovers spend the entire day together, doing what they love and find romantic—enjoying a lovely dinner, watching a movie, or taking a stroll together. Alongside chocolate and red roses, the most beloved Valentine’s gift in France is heart-shaped chocolate cake. It is also believed that the very first Valentine’s card originated in France, when Charles, Duke of Orléans, sent love letters to his wife from prison in 1415. Since then, the village of Valentine in France has become a symbol of romance.
Argentina: Fun fact, Argentinians do not celebrate Valentine’s Day in February. Instead, they observe “Sweetness Week” in July. This is a time when lovers exchange kisses and receive chocolates and other sweets. Actually, this celebration began as a commercial invention to boost the sales of confectionery like chocolate, but it quickly won the people’s hearts and gradually became a traditional occasion for expressing love in Argentina.
Denmark: In Denmark, Valentine’s Day is about more than just roses and chocolate. Instead, people often give snowdrops (white hyacinths)—an elegant flower symbolizing the clarity and purity of love. They also have another charming tradition: “Gaekkebrev”—anonymous love letters. The sender writes a poem or a romantic message but does not sign their name, leaving only dots representing the number of letters in their name. If the recipient correctly guesses the sender’s identity, they will receive an Easter egg in April. This makes Valentine’s Day in Denmark delightfully mysterious and interesting.
Miao, Southwest China: Here, Valentine’s Day takes the form of the Sisters’ Meal Festival, celebrated on March 15th. During the festival, women wear silver accessories and magnificent embroidered dresses. On this day, women often prepare five-color sticky rice and invite passing young men to taste it. A couple’s destiny is then determined by what is hidden inside the rice the man chooses. If he finds two chopsticks, it means the girl is offering her embroidered pouch as a sign of affection. A clove of garlic, however, signifies that love has ended before it could even begin.
Japan: The Japanese celebrate not only one, but two Valentine’s Days: Red Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) is when women express their feelings to men. On this day, women give honmei-choco (“true feeling chocolate”) to the one they love. A month later, on March 14, comes White Valentine’s Day—the day men reciprocate. They typically give white chocolate or white-colored gifts to the women as a sign of their affection.
South Korea: Similarly to Japan, South Korea also treats Feb. 14 as the Red Valentine’s Day: women give gifts to men; and vice versa on March 14. But they have an additional day: Black Valentine’s Day on April 14, dedicated to singles. On this day, those who haven’t found their other half gather with friends and eat jajangmyeon (black bean noodles)—a dish whose
dark color symbolizes the “sorrow” of the lonely. In reality, though, this is also a time to embrace single life, and who knows, some might just find their match at these gatherings.
Valentine’s Day, or any holiday—whether adopted or indigenous—reflects the culture and lifestyle of the people there. Looking at the way each country loves, we see how they cherish one another, how they wait, and how they overcome loneliness. In these final words, I hope you had a truly happy Valentine’s Day. Maybe this year, you didn’t give anyone a silver spoon, write a Gaekkebrev, or share a heart-shaped chocolate cake with a special someone. But I hope you still had a Valentine’s Day in your own way: just learning to love the world more deeply, learning to love yourself, and believing that one day, love will find you at just the right moment—just like Denmark’s snowdrops, season after season: quiet, pure, and right on schedule.